Israel arrests 13 Palestinians on suspicion of being behind a shooting attack on an IDF force in Ramallah on Jan. 20 • Kalashnikov used in the attack was given to the terrorists by an officer in the Palestinian intelligence service.

A Red Crescent ambulance on a West Bank highway. [Illustrative]

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Photo credit: Yoav Ari Dudkevitch

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Defense Forces recently arrested 13 Palestinians on suspicion of being behind a shooting attack on an IDF force in Ramallah on Jan. 20, the security service said in a statement Monday.

There were no casualties during the shooting attack at the Am'ari refugee camp in Ramallah, but some damage was caused to a military vehicle.

Among those arrested are some employees of the Red Crescent, the Palestinian Red Cross, in Ramallah, one of whom also served as a goalie in the Palestinian Olympic soccer team.

It was also revealed by the Shin Bet that one of the weapons used in the attack, a Kalashnikov, was given to the terrorists by an officer in the Palestinian intelligence service, which oversees employees of the Red Crescent.

The 13 suspects who were arrested, all residents of the Am'ari refugee camp, revealed in their interrogations that they took part in extensive activities against IDF forces guarding the security fence.

The main suspects linked to the shooting attack at the IDF force in January are:

Salah Bararel, born in 1989, a resident of Am’ari, affiliated with Hamas, employed as a guard at the Red Crescent.

Omar Abu Ravis, born in 1989, a resident of Am’ari, affiliated with Hamas, employed at the Red Crescent in Ramallah, is also the goalie of the Palestinian Olympic soccer team.

Ahmed Khattab, born in 1989, a resident of Am’ari, worked as a guard at the Red Crescent.

Manzar Abbas, born in 1971, a resident of Am’ari, served as an officer in Palestinian intelligence in Ramallah, was in charge of Red Crescent guards, and is believed to have been a weapons dealer.

During an interrogation of the suspects, it was revealed that Salah Bararel and Omar Abu Ravis used two Kalashnikov rifles, which Ravis received from his friend Manzar Abbas two months earlier, to carry out the attack.

Fuad Ousha acted as a lookout during the attack.

After the attack, the shooters left the rifles inside a bag in an abandoned house, and allegedly planned to transfer them to a new hiding spot the next day. Eventually, Omar Abu Ravis gave the weapons, in the bag, to Ahmed Khatab, who after Abu Ravis’ arrest transferred them back to Manzar Abbas.

During their questioning, the suspects also revealed that they had planned other shooting attacks against IDF troops stationed at Attara, Geva checkpoint, Atarot checkpoint, even in Maaleh Adumim, Ofra and Nablus.